Jumeirah, a global leader in luxury hospitality and member of Dubai Holding, today announced the launch of Jumeirah Eco Village - a thoughtfully curated sustainability destination at Madinat Jumeirah designed to inspire sustainable living through engaging, educational experiences.
InterContinental, the world's first and largest luxury hotel brand, is opening new doors to a world of fascination on The Red Sea. Advancing the brand's pioneering outlook and reinforcing IHG Hotels & Resorts' global commitment to growing a leading luxury and lifestyle portfolio, InterContinental The Red Sea Resort is among the first to open on Shura Island - a destination which, in line with Saudi Vision 2030 ambitions, is setting a new global benchmark in luxury tourism.
The Oberoi Group has announced the opening of The Oberoi, Wadi Safar in the second half of 2026, marking a pivotal moment for the brand in the Kingdom. Set adjacent to historic Diriyah and spread across 62 km² of some of Saudi Arabia's most untouched natural landscape, the resort is poised to become one of the country's most exclusive luxury getaways and a serene gateway to one of its most captivating cultural destinations.
Dubai's government launches citywide biometric check-in system across 820 hotels, allowing guests to complete formalities on mobile phones and bypass front desk queues.
Qatar's occupancy hit 83.9% with RevPAR rising 20.3% year-over-year, driven by Formula 1 and the Doha Film Festival.
Aleph Hospitality, the largest independent hospitality management company in the Middle East and Africa, has secured the Tapestry Collection by Hilton brand for an upcoming 84-key hotel in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, owned by AREA Investment and Real Estate. This marks Aleph Hospitality's third Tapestry Collection by Hilton property under management, further strengthening the company's partnership with global hospitality company Hilton and expanding its footprint in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The most transformative disruption we’ll bring to the hospitality industry by 2026 lies in end-to-end workflow automation across hotel operations, not just individual tasks, but entire processes that currently require too much manual effort with too many handoffs and that may unnecessarily create security risks in today's high data security environment.
We believe AI will most profoundly disrupt operational scheduling and resource allocation across spa, wellness, and leisure departments. These areas are traditionally managed through manual guesswork, disconnected systems, or static templates.
I believe the biggest disruption isn’t a single task - it’s the entire commercial workflow behind meetings and group bookings. A third of all hotel room nights tie back to a meeting or group, yet hotels still burn thousands of hours on manual qualification, data gathering, and proposal-building.
IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel companies, has signed a management agreement with an investment fund managed by SEDCO Capital, a global multi-asset management and advisory firm, to launch Hotel Indigo Grand Square Jeddah. The 150-key lifestyle hotel marks the first collaboration between the global hospitality group and the Saudi real estate investment fund.
I feel Airbnb's move does not create a new problem — it exposes an existing one.
Hotels don't need another mega OTA, rather, they need partners who create real value. Airbnb's shift into hotels is less innovation and more defense. With Booking.com dominating STR volume and commissions rising, Airbnb is simply repositioning to stay competitive.
To be fair, one could argue Airbnb has already been functioning as an OTA for years. It facilitates transactions, controls the marketplace, shapes pricing behavior, and now they are onboarding more hotels and aligning its commission structure.
I believe we're at the point where it really doesn't matter anymore how many OTAs we have. It's gotten so bad for hotels that it almost can't get any worse — and it barely matters which one of them is draining our margins or taking over our guests.
Dubai-born AVENEW Development is entering the branded residences space following a signed agreement with Marriott International to develop The St. Regis Residences at Dubai Islands. The upcoming project is designed for the modern connoisseur, reflecting the developer's forward-thinking approach to residential living, where every detail, from interiors to communal experiences, is crafted to inspire connection, elevate lifestyle, and define what it means to truly come home.
The study of 34 million GHA DISCOVERY members shows travelers will prioritize personal expression over destinations, with leisure trips averaging 6 vs 4 business trips.
The report projects 2% GDP growth for 2025 with tourism recovering through North American and European visitors, while the Abraham Accords create new regional travel opportunities.
It's abundantly clear that the US hyperscalers are unable and unwilling to regulate themselves. Some owners are wealthier than entire EU countries and act like mini-kings, beholden to no one. Many have taken the view that it's more cost-effective to steal the IP of original authors (text, image, video, music, etc.) for use in Gen AI model training and pay to throw legal challenges at any copyright penalties. A $100 million pro-AI super PAC formed in August backed by OpenAI's president has identified its first democrat target to oust. Anti-regulation, deep-pocketed Silicon Valley interests are injecting themselves into local US contests from afar.
It's abundantly clear that the US hyperscalers are unable and unwilling to regulate themselves. A $100 million pro-AI super PAC formed in August, backed by OpenAI's president, has identified its first pro-legislation target to oust.
The divergence in AI regulation is less about "innovation versus control" and more about who will define the operating system of the future economy. The US optimises for velocity and scale; the EU for rights, accountability, and systemic risk.
Yes, the gap in AI innovation and adoption will continue and expand. This disparity is less about well-intentioned policy and more about an ongoing geopolitical battlefield where technology sits squarely in the 'armed forces' of the major powers.
IHG has grown from one hotel in 1975 to over 100 properties open and planned, targeting Saudi Arabia's 150 million visitor goal by 2030.
The conference will return to Riyadh in April 2026, following this year's event that generated USD 1.6 billion in business opportunities and 11 hotel signings.
Adeera will operate 370 units under its Alia brand at the massive development near Prophet's Mosque, joining global brands like Marriott and Hilton.
This is a really thought-provoking take. I agree that metasearch isn't dead. it's evolving, quietly powering AI-driven interfaces rather than existing as a visible marketplace. The first to benefit will be those who can move fast and think at scale likely OTAs while traditional booking engines risk becoming just another costly layer.
Rather than disappearance, we're witnessing transfiguration: the logic of metasearch is alive, but its form is shifting from a visible comparison table to an invisible, integrated intelligence layer.
Simone's argument resonates strongly with me. If metasearch has dissolved into the invisible infrastructure of distribution, then the next challenge is redefining where real value lies. With conversational AI agents now capable of pre-filtering, recommending, and contextualizing travel options, simply consolidating data from various sources is no longer enough.
Marriott International, Inc. today announced it has reached a milestone of 100 combined open and pipeline hotels in Saudi Arabia following the signing of an agreement with a fund managed by SEDCO Capital for a 1,100 room Courtyard by Marriott in Makkah. The property will be situated within the Holy City's landmark Masar destination which is owned, developed and operated by Umm Al Qura for Development and Construction. Expected to open in 2030, Courtyard by Marriott Makkah Masar is anticipated to deliver the brand's signature blend of exceptional hospitality, modern comfort and purposeful design.